Breaking Out
by themyscira
Summary: Set in the 1800s, Rapunzel is imprisoned in a tower for a crime she did not commit! The events that follow prior to her execution lead her to find her own freedom by her own hand and eventually, to a new life as a pirate!


Andythelemon on tumblr drew some really awesome Pirate AUs of the Big 4 and I really loved them, especially the piece of Rapunzel, so gorgeous! I was inspired to write this :)

Apologizing in advance for any spelling/grammar errors!

* * *

Rapunzel swung her pan around the air for a few moments before securing it on her hip. She'd spent the better part of the day working with Hiccup, mostly detailing his maps and drawing creatures based on the stories he told her. It was never boring, not even for a moment, and not because everything Hiccup said was fascinating nor was he particularly good at storytelling but because she, Rapunzel was a pirate and she was working with pirates.

For years she'd watch the sun rise, it was glorious to feel the warmth on her face and watch the rays take over the trees and beyond. For so long she wanted to run to the sun, she wanted to go where the sunshine fell, and yet she was trapped, first by her own obedience and then in her tower for crimes she didn't commit.

That was until Jack arrived.

...

Off the shore of Corona, the city closest to her tower, three pirates had stopped to pick up supplies. A redhead barked orders with a sword in her hand, and the boys she commanded, huffed and obeyed.

To an extent that is, because Jack was not so easily tamed and Jack, rather than head into the city with the others, decided to see what was in the forest behind the city. He'd always preferred the woods to the city.

Off Jack went without a care in the world, he knew Merida would chew his ear off and there was certainly a chance they'd leave without him, but he didn't much care because he knew they'd come back for him, if anything because maintaining a ship was too much work for three people let alone two.

It wasn't long before Jack stumbled upon the very tower that held her.

From her small, barred window, Rapunzel saw his white hair and heard the slightly out of tune whistle that came from his lips. She knew the song well, it was an old French lullaby mothers across Europe would hum to their children. Although she'd never had a mother herself, she'd heard the children sing it when they played in the very fields she'd pick flowers from.

Rapunzel held out her hand and whistled the melody correctly.

For a brief moment, Jack was startled, he squinted, shoved his hands in his pockets and looked for the sound. He heard nothing at first and so, he whistled again, this time more in tune.

She whistled back, this time he saw her hand.

"Who are you?" Jack asked, he was more curious than he was frightened. He knew the towers held the worst of the prisoners but having been a pirate for the past year, he'd seen some awful sights and met quite a few terrible people.

"Rapunzel." She said sweetly.

Now Jack was surprised, he was expecting a man not a woman and even then, certainly not one with such a lovely voice.

"I'm Jack," He said as loud as he could, she was so very high up.

"Nice to meet you, Jack." This time her voice was somber, it had been so long since she'd spoken to anyone but the guards and she told him so.

"Wait one moment," Jack said, he knew he should be heading back to the others, but his curiosity had got the better of him. He ran up to the closest tree and began to climb higher and higher until he was at the height of the window's tower, while he was still shy a good ten or so feet, it was enough, he believed, to have a proper conversation.

"Rapunzel, what did you do to get in there." He asked.

She was surprised at first, she thought he'd gone by now, "It's not what I did, it's what I didn't do," Rapunzel rubbed her shoulder. She'd been in the tower for months now and had forgotten what a kind voice sounded like. The guards were so gruff and rarely spoke to her, the food was horrid, the air of the tower was musty, and her clothes were very worn. Her whole face was covered in dirt, the only gave her a bucket to wash herself once a week, if she was lucky, and that wasn't even the worst of the hygiene.

"What do you mean?" Jack had crawled up on a branch and laid against it like a cat, he wanted to hear her every word she said.

"Oh, they say I attempted to kill the queen," At that Jack's eyes widened. He'd committed quite a few crimes in his life but assassination of a royal was not one of them.

"And what makes them think you did it?"

She sighed, "All I know is one moment I'm drawing for the children in the square and the next I'm being hauled here. My execution is scheduled in a week."

She shuttered and shook at the thought. Rapunzel has always been the obedient girl, she'd always followed the rules and while she had no parents to speak of she spent the better part of her life being ordered around. She accepted because she assumed it was the right thing to do but for all the rights she did, it had summed up her time in this awful tower, and her impending doom.

Within the next hour, Rapunzel shared her story with Jack, how she longed for adventure and how she'd spent so long trying to do what was expected of her. Every time, she stepped out of what was expected, she found herself being judged, "That silly girl, that dim girl." She pushed her feet against the floor.

"You don't sound dim, you sound like you want to have fun." Jack said, the eagerness in his voice made her smile.

"I'd love to just feel the grass under my feet again."

"It's one of the best feelings in the world." Jack agreed.

"If only."

"Break out." Jack said frankly, "Break out and be free."His tone was serious, "I can help you escape."

Rapunzel put her hand to her mouth, she'd never thought of being "Free" before.

"…And come with me." Jack had no real right to offer Rapunzel to come along, Merida was the captain, but he was sure if she knew Rapunzel's predicament, she'd ask her to do the same.

Rapunzel laughed, "I wouldn't know how, and…I don't really know you." The latter thought seemed silly, who was she to turn away a stranger who was being so nice to her.

"I don't know you but you have an honest voice," He paused, she wouldn't make a very good pirate with a voice like that, but she certainly had the spirit of one.

"I'll be back Rapunzel," He whistled briefly, "I'm going to get help."

With that he disappeared into the forest in search of Merida and Hiccup.

After an hour or so Rapunzel had grown restless, she missed his voice, she missed talking to someone, but above all else, she couldn't get what he said out of her thoughts. She didn't want to be wait to be saved, she wanted to find it within herself.

Freedom was on her mind, she was ready to throw away obedience, and burn patience alive. She wanted out and she was determined to do it on her own.

She ran over to the door and pounded her hand against it, she pounded so hard she felt her hands becoming bruised and her fingers scrap against the wood. By the time the guards arrived they were seething.

When they opened the door, Rapunzel had reached for her bucket, and swung it against the guards heads, one of them collapsed over the other while Rapunzel dashed down the hall. There were so many stairs, she found herself tripping down them every few seconds but she dared not look back because she could hear their boots following her. It wasn't until she'd fallen sideways into a nearby door that she stopped to breathe.

When she looked up she saw she was in the kitchen, the cook gave out a startled cry, Rapunzel was covered in dirt, her eyes were swollen and the smell on her was absolutely putrid.

"I'm so sorry," She said, she jumped up and reached for the object closest to her, a metal pan, "But I can't die for something I didn't do." She struck the cook who collapsed on the ground seconds later. She quickly checked his pulse to make sure he was alright, afterwards, she hide under the counter and waited.

Sure enough the guards came in after a few minutes, they walked carefully across the kitchen floor. Rapunzel tightened her grip, once she saw the guards feet turn the corner, Rapunzel crawled out from under the counter and tip toed her way to the doorway. With one quick breath she ran down the stairs on her toes. When she reached the last step, she tripped forward but forced herself to land as lightly as she could on her hands.

With that, she opened the door to the tower and dashed out, running as fast as she could with nothing but the clothes on her back and the pan in her hand.

…

Six months later, Rapunzel and Jack met again in a port city. He didn't know it was her when he saw her, but he was certainly fascinated with her. Her hair was golden, not quite the color of the gold he sought, but more so like the rays of the sun. Her eyes were so remarkably green, it was as if they'd been stolen from the grass in a book, and on her wrist was the image of a sun.

After a few minutes of awkwardly watching her, he drew up his courage and asked her, "Where did you get that?" He pointed to her wrist.

Rapunzel was surprised at first, normally people would ask her about her pan than they would her tattoo. Then she remembered she'd hidden it in her sack. She smiled, but didn't speak. The golden earrings she wore dangled from side to side as she twirled lightly on her feet, she was dancing to the songs from the street performers.

Rather than ask her again, Jack offered her his hand and she kindly took it. They twirled around and about, both were careful to maneuver past the crowds of people that bustled from the market to their homes.

"Can I ask again," He tried to sound as gentlemanly as possible, "Where you got the sun?"

She smiled so sweetly that Jack was sure he'd fall over himself, rather than answer, she whistled. She was sure who he was now, the tone of mischief was unmistakably as was the allure of adventure that he radiated.

Jack stopped suddenly, he was shocked and delighted.

"We looked everywhere for you,"

They slowed down their dancing, "When did you stop looking?" She said finally.

"When I heard you'd escaped, but even then…" Jack stopped himself before he said too much.

They had a brief conversation about their time since they'd last spoken, Jack talked of a few adventures but absentmindedly and quickly. It was Rapunzel whose life as bandit that intrigued him. She had a bit of Robin Hood persona, stealing from the rich to give to the poor, but what made her famous around the cities was her weapon of choice and her strategy behind it. Rapunzel didn't stab with a sword, she struck with a pan in opportune moments.

"I can't believe you're the pan bandit," He laughed, "Is it true you sing your victims asleep?"

She squinted at the word "victims," she didn't like to think of herself as a person who caused pain, although she had to do quite a bit of it.

"I don't really like the fighting part," She said honestly, "I'm not very good, I just…"

"Hit them with pans."

She rolled her eyes, "I'd much rather be out in the world having adventures but instead I'm stealing to survive."

"And helping others survive."

"When I can," She stared longingly at the sea, there were so many ships docked and yet ready to go at any moment to sail off, she inhaled the salty air. Jack watched her and felt his heart race right along with her.

"Come with us," Jack said promptly, "Be a pirate."

At that Rapunzel raised an eyebrow, "I had no idea you were a," She whispered the last word, "Pirate." Jack leaned in and put his finger on her face, guards from the royal army were walking by.

"Are you still fugitive for the supposed assassination attempt of our dear queen?"

Rapunzel nodded, she spotted the guards a second later and her heart pounded. She'd been careful to avoid them but upon seeing Jack she'd forgotten her vigilance. It seemed silly to her, but although he was a stranger, he was the only stranger she felt she knew, and therefore, she wanted to call him a friend.

"I'm sorry about this," he pressed his lips against hers, in doing so his body covered hers. The guards passed without a second glance, chalking it up to nothing more than a young romance.

Jack kept one eye open and watched the guards walk past them, it wasn't until they'd disappeared into the crowd that he pulled his lips off of hers and by then she was breathless.

Her face was flushed red, "Was that necessary?"

"It would be suspicious if I was just hiding you, kissing you to the point of nearly falling over you is more believable." He turned away from her, his face was getting red, "Still, sorry about that, I've never been a fan of kissing women when they don't want it," At that she put her hand on his chest.

"T-that's good to hear, you respect women." He smiled.

"So?" He manged to look at her in glances.

"So?" /she took another deep breath and put her hands on her hips.

"Are you coming?"

…

Three months as a pirate and Rapunzel couldn't be happier. The world was far larger than she thought, and not just in geography but also in what it held. Sure, there were humans, but little did she know there were dragons and spirits, witches and the like all over the world.

She touched her sun necklace, Jack had snagged it from Sirens in their last escapade. It was the favorite thing she owned because the sun was her favorite image in the world and the fact that Jack thought of her, well, that made it all the better.

She ran her fingers over the pink shawl wrapped around her waist, a gift for herself she'd picked up in India.

"You going to start a collection?" Jack asked, he had his hands on the ship's railing. The wind blew his face and the moonlight lit his eyes in a way that made them look like they were part of the sea.

"The necklace?" She asked, she wasn't sure what he meant. She'd collected quite a few things in their travels from dragon scales to petals from exotic flowers, the newest piece was the necklace he gave her.

"No," He ran his fingers over the sun on her arm, "These."

"I've had that one for awhile, I did it myself," She put her fingers over his, "You know that Jack." She thought for sure he was teasing and by the kind grin on her face, it made it all the more likely.

Before Jack could say another word, Merida was upon them, she had her swords on her hips and a wide smirk on her face, "You did the tattoo?"

She sounded ecstatic, "Why didn't you say so! I knew you could draw but I didn't know you could work a needle, that's it you're giving us all tattoos, I'm first!" Her loud voice filled the air. The silence of the night was gone.

She dashed into the Captain's quarters just as Hiccup exited it, he turned on his heel once he saw her, "Merida, we can't keep stalling! We need more crew members if we want to make it…" His voice faded with the door shut.

"I'm going to need my supplies," Rapunzel thought aloud.

Jack gestured for Rapunzel to follow, she did so but with her mind already conjuring up images for her friends. When they had reached the door to her room, Jack stopped her and leaned in carefully to her ear, "For the record," He said softly, "I wasn't just referring to the one on your wrist." He touched her back gently, "I've been wanting to know who did that one."

Rapunzel's face turned red but a smile found its way to her lips just as he opened the door. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him down to her.

"You said you didn't see anything," She sounded more amused than angry. Jack, as far as pirates went, was a gentleman.

"I said I didn't see anything that would embarrass you." Jack whispered back. Rapunzel was about to object when she saw the red on his cheeks and laughed instead.

She touched the braids in her hair and thought a moment, "I guess it doesn't."

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**I hope you guys enjoyed this! I will write more, I have reasons for why Rapunzel was targeted and other adventures :)**


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